1888- Modern times.

1889 United Thank Offering founded.
1891 Phillips Brooks, Anglo-Liberal preacher, elected bishop of Massachusetts (author of "O Little Town of Bethlehem").
1892 New U.S. Prayer Book solves some problems with redundancies in the service.
1906 The "English Hymnal", the product of the Oxford Movement, enriches worship.
1927 T.S. Eliot, British poet, converts to Anglo-Catholicism. He celebrates his new faith in "Ash Wednesday".
1928 New U.S. Prayer Book reintroduces prayer for the departed.
1942 C.S. Lewis writes "The Screwtape Letters", advice from a senior to a junior devil. Lewis's friends include Dorothy Sayers and Charles Williams (Anglicans) and J.R.R. Tolkien (Roman Catholic, responsible for Lewis's conversion from atheism). They are called "the Oxford Christians".
1944 First Anglican woman (Li Tim Oi) ordained priest, in China
1952 Revised Standard Version of the Bible is published and proves enormously popular. The Episcopal Church, with the National Council of Churches, is responsible.
1960 James Pike, a brilliant convert from Roman Catholicism, becomes bishop of California. During following years, he denies the virgin birth, Trinity, and Incarnation, provoking much controversy....
1966 Death of Bishop Pike's son. Pike develops an interest in spirit mediumship which persists until his death, in l969, in the Dead Sea desert.
1970 A charismatic revival is underway among Episcopalians, with tongues-speaking and weekend consciousness-raising sessions in the US. The deliverance ministry receives particular attention in England. The charismatics are clearly Anglicans, though they are criticized for divisiveness.
1970 ECUSA approves ordination of women to diaconate.
1971 Two women ordained priest in Hong Kong
1974 Eleven women ordained priest in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
1976 ECUSA General Convention approves ordination of women to all three orders: bishop, priest, and deacon..
1979 New U.S. Prayer Book approved. The mandate for this extensive revision came from the 1958 Lambeth conference. It is influenced by new understanding of ancient liturgy, and by Vatican II, the Church of South India, and the Protestant community at Taize. It has already been used experimentally for several years. The language is modernized. The eucharistic lectionary is an adaptation of the one already in use by Roman Catholics and many Protestant denominations. For the first time, post-Reformation Anglicans appear in the calendar. Most Episcopalians who attend church regularly like the new prayer book, though some bitterly oppose it and some join a schismatic group. (A majority of Episcopalians who seldom or never attend church oppose the new book.)
1984 Bishop Tutu of South Africa, opponent of apartheid, wins the Nobel Prize.
1985 New hymnal introduced.
Anglican-Orthodox "joint doctrinal discussions" concluded in Dublin.
1989 Barbara Harris consecrated suffragan of Massachusetts: first woman bishop in the Anglican Communion.
1990 Penelope Jamieson consecrated diocesan of Dunedin, New Zealand, first woman diocesan bishop in the Anglican Communion
1992 Church of England approves ordination of women to the priesthood
1998 Eleven women bishops participate in the Lambeth Conference
today Anglicans are numerous on every continent and constitute the principal Christian community in many areas, notably in Africa.

The Book of Common Prayer exists in 170 languages. There are about 45 million Anglicans worldwide. There are three million Episcopalians in the US.
At least one survey indicates that, among all denominations in this country, we have the highest percentage of members who take time for daily prayer.

There is little doubt that, among all groups of Christians, we Anglicans are the most diverse and the most tolerant. Anglicans are still facing persecution in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, Communist China, the Soviet bloc nations, Central Africa, and Central America.

Throughout the world, over one thousand new Christian churches open their doors each Sunday. As always, Christianity flourishes wherever it shows people its highest ideals.

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